Like its Intel Centrino brand for wireless and highly mobile computers based, Intel is launching a brand to target the home entertainment market. The company says a new kind of personal computer (PC) will premiere in homes early 2006 when Intel Corporation introduces the Intel Viiv technology.

Intel Viiv rhymes with "five" - and where companies get these names from? The marketing folks at Intel believe the Viiv brand name communicates the excitement, vibrancy and vividness of the latest technologies that enable people to have a great entertainment experience in the home.

Working together with a variety of Intel-verified consumer electronics devices, online services and software, including movies, music, photos and games, the technology promise to be easy to use with a remote control and powered by a suite of Intel technologies, including a dual-core processor, chipset, platform software and wired networking capabilities.

"Intel Viiv technology is our first platform designed from the ground up for the digital home, where consumers are passionate about the idea of accessing their content anytime, anywhere in their home on a number of devices," said Don MacDonald, vice president and general manager, Intel Digital Home Group. "Following the success of Intel Centrino mobile technology, we are applying a similar branding strategy to our new digital home platform composed of Intel's latest PC technologies. Intel Viiv technology marks the intersection point where innovation, a multitude of digital devices, first-class entertainment and state of the art technology converge to put consumers in more control of experiencing digital entertainment on their own terms."

Consumers will be able to get Intel Viiv technology-based systems in a variety of form factors, from small, sleek consumer electronic-type designs (similar to a stereo component or DVD player), to more traditional desktop or tower designs.

Intel also integrated consumer electronic features into the Intel Viiv technology platform to make it easier to use and contribute to the overall entertainment experience. All PCs based on Intel Viiv technology will ship with a remote control, the Microsoft Windows Media Center Edition operating system and media software that lets consumers interact with their PC in the same way they operate a TV. Consumers are enabled to watch a movie or play a game while also downloading the latest music, all from one integrated system using a remote control.

In another TV-like function, consumers will be able to quickly turn their PCs on and off (after initial boot-up) with the touch of a button through a new platform feature called Intel Quick Resume Technology. Each Intel Viiv technology-based PC will also ship with 5.1 surround sound (with optional support for up to 7.1 surround sound) for home theater-quality sound.

With an optional TV tuner card, this same PC will be able to record, pause, and rewind live TV programs, and store them on the hard drive for later viewing. Consumers will also be able to enjoy content on demand.

Intel Viiv technology also includes an integrated media server "engine" that can reformat various digital content files so they can be viewed on a selection of devices, of course to be certified by Intel to work with Intel Viiv technology-based systems. Intel worked with the PC, CE and content industries to set interoperability specifications so that consumers can easily move a variety of online media from room to room and between various devices in the home network.